Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Bring on the Buffalo! This Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is so good you’ll want to hide the leftovers

#SorryNotSorry

You know when you make a recipe that’s just so incredibly amazing and you don’t want to leftovers to end? This is one of those. Especially for all of you Buffalo-sauced anything lovers (present company included).

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has ever hidden leftovers in the fridge. You know, as in tucked them way in the back of the crisper drawer under the parnsips and celery to prevent husbands/partners/roommates/teenagers from devouring them before you do?

Don’t tell my husband but this is where all the best leftovers go – at least a small portion of them. And this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash was no exception.

Ok, enough about my leftover hiding ways let’s talk Buffalo incredibleness here (though if you can relate to the leftover stashing, please leave a comment below. Leftover hoarders unite!) Inspired by our wildly popular Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken that went absolutely viral last summer thanks to the supportive and voracious Whole30 community, this dish combines all the best things about Buffalo – a tangy, spicy sauce + crisp crunchy veggies + a cool, creamy drizzle of Ranch dressing (or a sprinkle of blue cheese to keep things authentic in Life After Whole30).

Buffalo sauce is relatively easy to make. A little ghee, a little hot sauce, something to make it salty and a pinch of garlic. It’s not complicated but it’s also one. more. step on the road to Buffalo chicken nirvana. So this time rather than whipping up my own sauce, I grabbed a bottle of Tessemae’s new Mild Buffalo Sauce and went to town. Because there could be no more waiting to get this dish into my face.

I know that those of you who know me are thinking, “Mild?!” because I love me some melt your face off Buffalo (or anything, for that matter) but hear me out! I’m totally loving this Mild Buffalo Sauce because you get all the flavor of Buffalo without the heat so the other flavors in your dish still shine through. And it’s pre-made so it can easily go on all the things. Roasted veggies or potatoes, leftover shredded chicken, egg muffins and more.

See? Don’t you just want to face plant into this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash?!

If you’re still reading this and haven’t jumped immediately to the recipe, I’m amazed. Thanks for hanging in there. I have to say that the directions for this recipe look a little daunting BUT it’s actually quite simple to prepare. While the squash is roasting you’ll cook the chicken (I give you instructions for both Instant Pot and stovetop so you’ve got options) and dice up the celery, green onions and red pepper. And when the chicken is done you’ll toss it all together with the Buffalo sauce before mounding it back into the squash shells. At this point, feel free to eat it as is or pop it back into the oven until it’s heated through. I’ve done it both ways and I can say they’re equally delicious.

Just don’t forget to drizzle it up with some Ranch if you want to make it truly amazing. Try our Paleo Ranch Dressing & Dip recipe or pick up a bottle of Tessemae’s Creamy Ranch at your local grocer or Target – both options will allow you to keep this dish Whole30-friendly. Or, for those who ‘do dairy’ get crazy authentic here and sprinkle it all with some crumbled blue cheese before you put it back in the oven.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This is for the Buffalo chicken lovers who want a dish they can really tuck into and enjoy without any guilt. Drizzling the twice baked squash with creamy ranch dressing or a sprinkling of blue cheese (sorry, not Whole30) takes it over the top. You just might want to hide any leftovers – it’s that good!

Instructions

To roast the squash:

Stand squash up on one of it’s cut ends and use a large knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise.

Scoop seeds and stringy insides out using a large spoon.

Place squash cut-side down on the baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until squash is tender. Baking time will depend on the size of your squash, larger squash requiring a longer cook time. When squash is tender, allow to cool slightly before using a fork to gently scrape the squash into a large bowl. Reserve the squash shells.

While squash is roasting, cook the chicken.

To cook the chicken:

Directions for Instant Pot: Insert rack into inner pot. Add 1 cup water or broth. Lay chicken on rack. Secure lid and select ‘Poultry’ setting and increase time to 17 minutes (19 if the breasts are really thick). At the end of the cooking time, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then flip the vent valve and release the remaining pressure. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

Directions for Stovetop: Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. avocado or coconut oil and swirl pan to coat with the oil. Add chicken and ½ cup water. Once the water begins to simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook chicken for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

To assemble the stuffed squash:

Place squash shreds, chicken, celery, onions, peppers and Buffalo sauce in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Spoon squash mixture into the squash shells. Return the stuffed shells back to the baking sheet and place in 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Notes

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Nutrition

Serving Size:1/4th recipe

Calories:308

Sugar:6g

Sodium:582mg

Fat:14g

Carbohydrates:13g

Fiber:3g

Protein:36g

What’s your favorite way to use Buffalo Sauce? Are you a leftover hider, too? Share your favorite place to stash the goods in the comments below!

This post was made possible by our friends at Tessemae’s. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are– as always -100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

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About Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her hubby and two daughters. She's been described as a 'real food evangelist' and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, teaching herself how to play the banjo and camping out under the stars.

Reader Interactions

This looks totally awesome. But. The only thing that concerns me is that I don’t particularly care for spaghetti squash…..as in trying to use it like “spaghetti”. The texture, the taste, everything. How will this make an improvement in that? Or will I be expecting too much from this recipe? Thanks for all you do!

“Leftover hoarders unite!” OMG I couldn’t stop laughing! XD Yes, I’m right there with you, I have two roommates (male) who are notorious for devouring every scrap of leftovers from the dinners I cook for us all as well as my eight year old son. I’ll go to pack something for lunch to take to work the next morning only to find it’s been scarfed down during the night (they both work nights so are up while I and my son sleep – their nights off are the worst. With one of my roommates, even when I pack a container at night and say “ok, this is for my lunch tomorrow, please don’t eat it,” I often find it gone anyway with the excuse of “I forgot”. Yeah. Sure you did. The optimist in me tries to view it as a compliment to my cooking but that doesn’t negate the annoyance. So yes indeed, leftover hoarders unite!!! Thanks for reading my rant, I can’t wait to give this recipe a try 🙂

I can totally relate! My hubby was a night shifter for 5 years and we also had a teen host student living with us at that time – so you can see where my leftover hoarding stems from. It’s soooooo frustrating though. In college and during my internship I actually kept a small dorm-size fridge in my room so I could keep my food separate from my roommates (all guys and all very hungry 24/7)

Sending you good vibes for leftovers and yes, it’s totally a testament to your amazing cooking but damn – it sure is annoying!

I’m trying to eat more whole/less processed foods, and avoid carbs at dinner, so I pinned this right away on Pinterest (plus who doesn’t love Buffalo anything?) I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I did add a small sprinkle of cheese, yum! So filling, and we have leftovers which is always a plus!

Thank you for this awesome recipe, will be making tonight! Trying to find more grain-free recipes, with my autoimmune being the worst in a decade. What would you suggest as a side for this?? It really combines all of your food groups into one, so I’m at a loss. Or do you suggest just dousing in ranch and digging in?? haha!

I’m sorry to hear that your autoimmune condition is so bad right now. A grain-free diet (and specifically the Autoimmune Paleo protocol) has been my ticket to remission these past 4 years – so I encourage you to stick with it 🙂

Dousing this with ranch and digging in is an excellent option! I usually serve it with a side of roasted or steamed broccoli or green beans in the winter and a big crunchy salad in the summertime.

My husband made this last night. It was absolutely delicious. He used 1/2 the amount of red sauce (since I do not like spicy food). I put the ranch dressing on the side and dipped my fork into it before getting a mouthful of the Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash. Sent the recipe link to many work friends and family. Loved it!

I had the most awful (and probably dangerous) time trying to get the spaghetti squash cut. I managed to hack off the ends, then found a post online where something made dotted lines down the length of the squash with a knife, then microwaved for five minutes, then was able to cut it much easier. Fingers crossed! It’s in the microwave now…

Sorry to hear about your struggle with the spaghetti squash. They can be quite a challenge to cut if they’re very large or your knife is dull or too small. I hope your microwave hack worked. I’ve also read of others who start the baking process with the squash whole (maybe 15-20 minutes) then remove the squash from the oven (using hot pads to protect your hands, of course) then cut it open.

I recently jumped on the spaghetti squash train and I have been loving it! This looks like a great use of the spaghetti squash wonderfulness. Many times I don’t have to hide my food from my roommates because they don’t like healthy food that much but this might be a different story. Hiding this one is probably going to be a must! It’s the blessing and the curse of having great recipes on hand. Thanks so much for sharing!

I typically serve this along with a green vegetable (roasted or sautéed green beans, broccoli or kale/chard) or a big green salad topped with hearty bits like avocado, nuts/seeds and maybe even some diced apple or pear.

Made this for supper tonight with leftover chicken. I had no idea what was for supper, so I put a spaghetti squash in the oven and started searching for recipes. This was exactly what I needed to wake up my taste buds on day 20 of my Whole 30. I am definitely hiding the leftovers from my family!!

I made the buffalo chicken stuffed spaghetti squash, and it was so delicious. Instead of stuffing it, I made it more of a casserole, as that fit into my schedule a little better. I highly recommend this recipe!!

Great questions! You could mix chicken breast and chicken thighs and then slow cook it all with some broth and seasonings. The dark meat with a little higher fat content makes for great shredded chicken that’s not dry at all. Hope that helps!

I love leftovers and always make extra to have in the fridge! One of my favorites is buffalo chicken!! I use it on a salad with ranch dressing or a sweet potato with ranch!! I also love making bowls with cauliflower rice, roasted veggies and buffalo chicken!! The possibilities are endless!!

This is AWESOME!!!!! Didn’t have green onions so used 1/2 a yellow onion. Red peppers were still a bit crunchy — I”ll dice smaller next time. Didn’t have crumbled blue cheese — so used Feta cheese. Used a combo of white and dark meat— even the chicken hater in the family liked it 🙂

Holy wow! This recipe is amazing! My meat and bread loving hubby gave it 2 thumbs up too! So good. I used your homemade buffalo sauce instead of store bought. Definitely going in the rotation on the meal plan.

Oh my gosh…..this was soooooo good!! I made your homemade buffalo sauce AND the homemade ranch. I had leftover chicken from a roasted one I made last night, so this came together very quickly. I love spaghetti squash, but I’ve never had it like this. I will be having it again very soon! Rock on!

This recipe was so good and easy to make and my husband loved it, the only thing I left out was the bell pepper, I don’t like. I made the Homemade Buffalo Sauce since I couldn’t find the Tessemae Sauce. This definitely is a meal we will be making a lot.

You just need one medium squash, that’s plenty for four servings. We’ve just shown it served in the squash shell halves so it appears to be two servings. You don’t have to serve it in the shells – but if you wanted to, you could certainly use two small squashes. Hope that helps!

Hi Jessica, I don’t have chicken breast right now, but I do have ground chicken, I’m going to assume that is fine to use – I’m going to try it anyway!! Thanks for this recipe, always on the hunt for good, low carb spag. squash meals!! 😉

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.